Didn’t think someone would come looking for a list of that sort of stuff again. Yet less than a month later – and two early afternoon victories over ranked teams – it has.

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So what’s a reasonable way to see if there’s a game-time trend connecting results and perceived quality of opposition. I could make this complicated, or go a fairly easy (though perhaps not quite as thorough) route.

I vote the easier path late this afternoon, because it at least takes into account performance against supposedly “good” teams. And if a team is ranked, they should be “good,” no?

So here’s a rundown of Maryland’s result against ranked teams under Friedgen, cross-referenced by game time:

I see one noon game in that mix. So maybe there’s something to the idea Maryland plays better at a time many of its fans want to be out in the parking lot tailgating rather than watching the opening kickoff.

And maybe that bodes well for Oct. 18, when Wake Forest visits for a noon kickoff.

But as for why? It’s worth looking into, but I can’t begin to definitely fathom why Friedgen’s teams score some of their best victories early in the day and suffer many of their worst defeats after dark.